Vending apparatus



(No Model.) Sheets-Sheet '1 J. SGHOPIELD. VENDING APPARATUS.

No. 396,297. Patented Jan. 15, 1889;

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet; 2.

J. SOHOFIEVLD.

VENDING APPARATUS,

N0. 396,297. Patented-Jan. 15, 1889.

N. PETERS. FlwhrLiuwgmpher, Walhingmm D. C.

EJNITED STATES PATENT Er ca;

JOHN SCHOFIELD, OF NE HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

VEN'DING APPARATUS.

Z SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,297, datedJanuary 15, 1889.

Application filed April 30, 1888. Serial No. 272,314- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN SCHOFIELD, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVending Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention which is the subject of the present application is anautomatic vending apparatus, and while I have shown it as designed forthe sale of cigars, it is obvious that it may be used for the sale ofmany other articles with butslight alteration and without changing theessential parts of the apparatus. As is well known, machines of thisclass are operated automatically by the insertion of a coin, whichreleases mechanism which in turn causes the article which the machine isdesigned to vend to be placed within reach of the purchaser.

The object of my invention is to simplify the construct-ion of suchdevices. I also aim to produce an automatic vending apparatus which maybe adapted to sell a variety of articles, so as to enable the owner ofthe apparatus to change it at will from the sale of one article to thatof another.

The invention consists, also, in the combination, with a carrier-wheeland means for operating it automatically by the dropping of a coin, ofan adjustable circuitous or zigzag reservoir, whereby the said reservoirmay be adapted to hold an d feed downward to the carrier articlesdiffering in shape and size.

The invention consists, also,in averticallyarranged reservoir having azigzag or circuitous channel, whereby the articles therein are.

fed by gravity, combined with a carrier arranged beneath the open end ofthe reservoir, with means for operating said carrier, and controllingdevices for interrupting said movement, the said devices being releasedby the dropping of a coin, whereby the carrier is allowed to feedforward a single article.

The invention consists, also, of a reservoir, a revolving carrier-wheelhaving receptacles in its periphery adapted to receive the articles andhold them separate as they are fed to it from the reservoir, andmeansfor moving said carrier intermittingly by the. dropping of a coin.

The invention consists, also, of a vertical circuitous reservoir for thearticles to be sold, a carrier arranged directly beneath the same forreceiving the articles and transmitting them one by one to within reachof the purchaser, means for moving said carrier, and a pivoted lever forcontrolling the movement of said carrier, the end of said leverextending beneath the open end of a coin-slide, whereby under the actionof a coin the lever releases the operating mechanism and allows thecarrier to be fed one step.

The invention consists, also, of a suitable reservoir and carrier andmeans for operating the carrier, .in combination with an adjustablecoin-slide. p

Finally, the invention consists in the devices and combination ofdevices hereinafter fully set forth and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view ofthe inclosingcase. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in front elevation withthe front wall broken away to show the interior mechanism, some of theparts being in section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the conduit andcarrier with the side wall of the case removed and the front and rearwalls in section. Fig. l is an elevation, partly in section, of theopposite side of the case, the side wall being removed and some of theparts being shown in. section. Fig. 5 represents a detailed view of thecoin-slide.

The inclosing-case is marked A, and may be made of any suitablematerial, either wood or metal, and ornamented in any desired manner. Ifit is intended to be used in stores, it may be of wood; but if desiredfor use in public places, as such devices are sometimes used, it may bemade very strongly of metal. I have shown upon the front an inscriptionindicating that the device is to be used for selling cigars; but it willbe understood that it may be adapted for the sale of various otherarticles, and the inscription of course changed accordingly. Referringparticularly to Fig. 3, I have shown at B a reservoiror conduit forcontaining a number of the articles to be sold, the said reservoir beingarranged with a circuitous or zigzag passage of f3 tease;

approximately the size in width of the articles to be sold. I have foundthat by the use of such a passage a reservoir is provided capable ofholding the greatest number of the articles, and at the same time nocrowding is permitted, which otherwise would obstruct and perhaps checkaltogether the perfect feed of the articles. Inv order to allow of theplacing of articles of different widths within the reservoir, I makeeither one or both of its walls (indicated at a.) adjustable by means ofthe elongated slots, through which,by means of pins, the wall issupported against the partition b of the case. The walls of thereservoir may be made of suitable material; but as they sustain but verylittle weight they may be made very cheaply of sheet metal with endflanges, by which they may be secured to the partition 1). Beneath theopen end of the reservoir I pivot a carrier, which has suitablebearings, and has upon its periphery a series of corrugations formingrecesses adapted to receive the articles as they are fed down by gravityto the open mouth of the reservoir. These corrugations serve to separatethe articles, and as the carrier is revolved it feeds the cigars orother articles one by one within reach of the purchaser.

hen the reservoir-passage is enlarged to receive articles of greaterwidth, which it may be found desirable to substitute for the cigars, itmay be found necessary to use, in place of the carrier-drum shown,another drum having corrugations corresponding to the articles to besold. As the carrier receives the article in a vertical line with itshub, it must make two movements to the left before it is ready todischarge the article upon the incline c, which is in connection,througha passage, ('1, with a receiving-pocket, c, which is open to the outsideand places the cigar within reach of the purchaser.

In order to prevent the cigars from displacement until they are broughtdirectly in line with the incline c, I provide a light spring, f, whichbears upon the articles dur ing their first and second movements to theleft, the next movement bringing them from beneath the spring andallowing them to pass down the incline to the open pocket.

In order that the condition of the reservoir may be readily seen at alltimes, so that it may be filled when empty, I provide a heavy glassplate, g, in the door 71, and. through the door the reservoir may bereached and filled when empty. 'Ihrough this glass the purchaser mayobserve the cigars or other articles as they are fed along, without,however, seeing the mechanism which causes their movement.

The mechanism for automatically operating the carrier (,1 is locatedupon the opposite side of the partition I), and is shown clearly inFigs. 1 and l. Upon the same shaft with the wheel 0, the shaft extendingthrough the partition Z), as shown in Fig. 1, is a wheel, I),

provided with teeth '1', the movement of this wheel controlling themovement of the carrier, as both are secured to the same shaft and movetherewith. This shaft terminates in a spool, it, upon which is wound acord, Z, extending up over a pulley, m, and has upon its end a weight,n. The shaft 1 of the carrier terminates in a square shank, and uponthis a key may be placed to wind the cord Z upon the spool 71:, thusplacing the wheel D under the tension of theweight, the constanttendency of the wheel under this tension being to revolve from left toright, as shown by thearrow in 1 ig. 3, which would thus give the properdirection to the movement of the car rier (I. I do not of course limitmyself to the use of a weight for thispu rpose, as any equiva lenttension device may be substituted there- I or. Instead of the cordZpassing over a pulley, as shown, it. may pass to the shaft of a pulley,and the weight be connected to a pulley, and this would renderunnecessary an amount of rewinding which would be called for by thesimple form of connection shown.

In order to govern the rotation of the wheel I) and to allow it to moveonly upon the dropping into the receptacle of a proper coin, I providethe wheel with teeth 1', and above the wheel arrange a pivoted lever, 3,whichis provided with a single catch at its end and pressed downward bya spring, a, into engagement with the teeth 1' of the wheel I). The rearend of this pivoted lever extendsbeneath the channel of a coin-slide, E,and has a box with an inclined bottom to direct the coin, and when aproper coin is placed within the slide it falls down the same bygravity, and, striking the end 5 of the pivoted lever, lifts the notchedend from engagement with the wheel for an instant, which allows theshaft to turn under the action of the weight, and the carrier 0, turningwi th the wheel, advances a step to feed down one of the articlescarried thereby. Before the next tooth is reached the spring a hasthrown down the end of the lever 3, and the rotation of the wheel isagain checked. A cash-box, (l, is provided at one side, and an incline,7, arranged beneath the end 5 of the lever, deflects the coin afterit'leaves the slid eE into the said box. The coinslide E is shown inFigs. 4 and 5, and is composed of two rails, 8, held together by pins attop and bottom, with springs 1-11: between them for holding the railsapart, and the distance between the rails may be adjusted for differentsizes of coins, so that the machines may be used to sell articles ofdifferent prices. These rails are supported in an inclined position, asshown in Fig. 4, ways being formed by grooving the inner and uppercorner of each of the rails, and the width apart of the rails or thewidth between the grooved portions thereof must correspondto the widthof the coin representing the value of the articles being vended.

A slot is formed in the front of the case, as shown, and the coin-slideis supported so that IIO ' the grooves at its upper end are in directline with the said slot. The lower end is directly above the part 5 ofthe pivoted lever, so that when a coin of the proper width is insertedit slides down within the grooves in the rails 8 and drops directly uponthe rear end of the lever, thus causing the action hereinbefore referredto. In case, however, a coin of less width is inserted in the slot, itwill drop between the rails and upon a board, 9, provided with aninclined shield, 10, extending-beyond the rear part, 5, of the lever,and thus deflects the coin over the same int-o the cash-box withoutoperating said lever. In case a coin greater in width is inserted itslides down upon the top of the rails S, and at a suitable point on theupper part of one of the rails I secure a deflector, 11, extendingacross to the other rail, but disconnected therewith, so as not tointerfere with the described adjustment. This deflector is wedge-shaped,so that when the coin reaches it its effect is to lift the coin from therail and turn it to an inclined shield, 12, extending between thecoin-slide and the rear wall of the case, which in like manner to theshield 10 deflects the coin above the end 5 of the lever into thecash-box without operating the pivoted lever. In case the coin, afterbeing deflected by the deflector 11, should return to the rails, I haveprovided a second deflector, 13, similar to 11, operating in the sameway. IVhile I prefer to make the slot in the front of the case of awidth just suflicient for the entrance of the proper coin, still it maybe desirable to make it of larger size and to adjust the machine forusewith larger coins. For instance, in case it should be desired for usein the sale of three cigars for-a quarter, the coin-slide would beadjusted to allow'the insertion of a quarter, and in order, in thiscase, to allow for the uninterrupted movement of the wheel D and carrier0 until three cigars have been fed out, I provide the wheel D withpivoted teeth i, and these teeth may be thrown down when it is desiredto feed more than one of the articles under the action of a single coin,and in the case of the sale of three cigars for a quarter two adjoiningteeth would be turned down, so as to presentonly the smooth periphery ofthe wheel, and in this case the wheel would revolve so as to empty threepockets of the carrier C before the hooked end of the pivoted leverwould engage one of the teeth of the wheel. It will be readily seen thatthis variation can be carried out to a greater or less degree.

The machine may be used to sell many kinds of small articlessuch asjewelry, tickets, &c.-by the use of boxes of any shape in cross-sectionwhich may contain the articles, and these boxes may be fed along thereservoir and carrier, as described.

I do not wish to limit myself to the precise form of carrier shown anddescribed as used in combination with a single circuitous and continuousreservoir and as having a'step-bystep movement to bring the pocketsseparately and. successively to the mouth of the reservoir.

I claim 1. In combination, in an automatic vending apparatus, areservoir for storing the articles, a rotary carrier-wheel arrangeddirectly below the reservoir and provided with recesses entirely aroundits periphery to receive the articles from the mouth of the res ervoirand a weight for givin the carrier-wheel forward movement to bring saidrecesses successively and separately into line with mouth of thereservoir upon the introduction of coins, substantially as described.

2. In combination, in an automatic vending apparatus, a reservoir forstoring the articles, said reservoir being circuitous in form, a rotarycarrier-wheel, G, arranged directly below the reservoir, provided withrecesses entirely around its periphery to receive the articles from themouth of the reservoir, and having a step-by-step movement to bring saidrecesses successively into position beneath the reservoir and a toothedwheel, D, the pivoted lever 33, the coin-slide, and a weight tendingconstantly to move the carrier, substantially as described.

3. In combination, a vertieally-arranged reservoir for holding thearticles, having a single continuous circuitous passage, with walls oneach. side of said passage situated at a distance apart, to confine thearticles and direct them one after the other in proper order, and acarrier having recesses adapted in size to one of the articles, arrangeddirectly below the mouth of the single passage, said carrier having astep-by-step movement to bring the recesses separately and successivelyin line with the mouth of the single passage, substantially asdescribed.

4. In avending-maehin e, a reservoir formed of two parts, one of saidparts being adj ustably supported to adapt the reservoir to dif- 'ferent-sized articles, substantially as described.

5. In an automatic vending apparatus, a reservoir, a carrier beneath thesame, a toothed wheel in connection with the carrier, a weight, apivoted lever having a single catch to engage directly with the toothedwheel, a spring for pressing said catch into engagement, and acoin-slide in line with the rear end of the pivoted lever, substantiallyas described.

6. In an automaticvending-machine, a coinslide having a channel adaptedin size to a certain-sized coin, provided with a deflector, as 13,extending across and above the channel, whereby coins too large for thechannel. will be deflected above the same, substantially as described.

7. In an automatic vending-machine, a coinslide formed of two parts, oneof which is adjustable toward and from the other, whereby i eeezse 9. Avending apparatnscomprisingthe reservoir, the earrim' arranged directlybeneath the same and provided with recesses for receiving the articles,a pocket to one side in the wall of the casing, an incline betweeii'said pocket and. the carrier, and aspring a]? ran aged between thereservoir and the incline for applying pressure to the articles, substaniially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN SCHOFIELD.

\Vitnesses:

F. L. MIDDLETON, CHAS. L. STURTEVANT.

